Lake County Sentinel
RubberDucks destroy Curve 9-1
BY DAVID WILSON
RUBBERDUCKS MEDIA
The Akron RubberDucks put on such a power display Monday night in Altoona, they might become honorary members of the local electricians union. In the opener of a three-game series against the Curve, the Ducks clubbed five home runs and cruised to a 9-1 victory at PNG Field.
Turning Point
The RubberDucks (4-0) jumped on the board in the second inning on—what else—a two-run homer by Jeremy Lucas, the first of his two longballs on the night. It came off Altoona starter Cody Dickson (0-1), and followed a two-out walk to Todd Hankins. The Ducks never trailed after that.
Winging It
Lefty Rob Kaminsky made his initial start of the season and Double-A debut for the RubberDucks and did not disappoint. The former top pick of the Cardinals, acquired in a trade last July, spun five innings of one-hit, shutout baseball to earn his first win in the Indians organization. After giving up a walk and double, but no runs, in the first inning, Kaminsky (1-0) settled in and allowed only two more runners on walks the rest of his outing. He walked three and fanned one.
Duck Tales
Of Akron’s eight hits on the night, five left the park. Clint Frazier drilled his first Double-A homer in the third inning, a deep drive to left field, giving him a four-game hit streak to start the season. Lucas provided an encore with a solo homer in the fifth, this time off reliever John Kuchno. Bradley Zimmer joined the party in the sixth with a towering solo blast off a light pole in left field, and followed that with a blistering shot to right in the ninth off Jhondaniel Medina to cap the scoring. It was the first homer of the year for all three players—Zimmer, Frazier and Lucas. Lost in all the homers, Yandy Diaz chipped in a two-run single in the fourth.
Notebook
The RubberDucks are the only unbeaten team in the EL…Altoona pitchers issued nine walks, seven by Dickson…In the first four games of the season, the Ducks have scored 29 runs and given up only 11…Righty relievers Grant Sides and D.J. Brown each worked two innings in relief. It was the season debut for each…Time of game: 2:51… Attendance: 1,913.
On Deck
The RubberDucks and Curve will play Game 2 of the series Tuesday evening at 6. RHP Dace Kime is the scheduled starter for Akron, while RHP David Whitehead is expected to start for the Curve. The game will be broadcast on Fox Sports 1350 AM, the WARF iHeart channel, and the TuneIn Radio App.
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POSTED 04/11/2016 22:37
TIM@TCPPHOTOGRAPHY.COM